Chapter Nine
She studied his profile as he drove. Everything about this man was masculine and rugged. He was about a foot taller than her and probably weighed twice what she did because of the layers of muscles she noticed when he moved a certain way.
“Why don’t you lean back and grab the blanket behind you? You can rest until we get to the hotel.”
“Were not going to make it home tonight?”
“No, I’m not going to push it. We’ll have a nice dinner in our room, shower, and get some rest. How does that sound?”
It sounded like a dream, but she couldn’t say that out loud. “That’s fine.”
She wrapped the blanket around her, closed her eyes, and was asleep within minutes.
The next time she woke up, he was pulling into a tall hotel.
“Where are we?”
“Lamar, Alabama. It’s about halfway to where we’re going. Are you hungry? You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you for lunch.”
“What about you?”
“I got some jerky when I stopped for gas.”
“Good.”
He parked and then came around for her. “Do you need both bags, sweetheart?”
“No, the little one is fine.”
He grabbed her bag and his in one hand and then took her hand.
“I can carry one.”
He snorted. “I’m good.”
She stood beside Duncan as he got them a room, startled when he got one with a king-size bed. Did he expect them to sleep together? Oh, God. What if he wanted to have sex?
“What are you thinking about?” he asked as he slipped his credit card back into his wallet.
“I…”
She knew she blushed from the smile that grew on his face.
“We’ll talk about it in our room.”
“Here are your keys, sir,” the woman at the desk said.
“Thank you.” He picked up the bags again and reached for her hand. She liked that he wanted to touch her. It was something she had craved her whole life and had yet to find. Jenna would give her hugs once in a while, but besides that, no one touched her.
He wrapped an arm around her waist after they got on the elevator, and it seemed natural to lean against him and for him to press a kiss to the top of her head.
“Here’s our room.” He slid the key in the slot and opened the door.
Kyla gasped as she walked around the room. She’d never seen anything that luxurious in her life except for things in magazines.
“I take it you like it?” he asked.
She nodded and walked over to the window. It was still early, but she was relieved they’d stopped so they could rest. She was catching up on her sleep, but she knew it would take a while to regain her lost pounds.